SAN ANTONIO – (Realty News Report) – A building on San Antonio’s picturesque River Walk will be redeveloped as a downtown mixed-use project with street-level retail, office space and a two-story restaurant overlooking the river.
The developer, BH Properties, will bring to market 100,000 SF of Class A office space as part of its plans to re-introduce the former CPS Energy Headquarters at 146 Navarro in downtown San Antonio as a mixed use destination on the River Walk.
Each of the building’s three 28,000-SF cantilevered floors of office space occupied by CPS since it was constructed for the public utility in 1987, will undergo a complete transformation to meet the demand of today’s modern space user. The design, created by Gensler, an architecture and design firm, will take advantage of the nine-foot floor heights, 1,500-SF wraparound patios and floor-to-ceiling windows that offer unobstructed views of the River Walk and downtown San Antonio.
The office component sits on top of the once-private seven-story garage that will be now opened to the public to provide parking for more than 600 automobiles. BH Properties will also introduce approximately 20,000 SF of street level retail, which will include a two-story restaurant at the southeast corner of the building at Presa Street overlooking the River Walk.
BH will also create several individual 750- 1,500-SF retail pods on a new pocket park plaza adjacent to La Villita, an artisan village on the southern bank of the river.
“To be rebranded as 146 Nav, the building will seamlessly connect to the redevelopment of the historic La Villita Village and new Civic Park to form a new lifestyle and entertainment district along the historic River Walk in downtown San Antonio,” said BH Properties Executive Managing Director of Commercial Operations Brian Park.
“The repositioning of 146 Nav establishes an exciting street presence that re-engages with the city fabric and public space,” added Jim Shelton, Design Director, Gensler San Antonio. “The Class A office building, with a shimmering, dynamic faceted design that can be seen from afar and a reimagined paseo, is poised to attract the public and visitors. The design concept is the perfect example of a growing trend in civic and urban design to build mixed-use districts that support the community and engagement. We are honored to be part of this project and help contribute to a vibrant and thriving downtown.”
An enhanced lobby features an extruded glass box, metal panels and new lighting. The ground floor is further activated with the restaurant and bar and covered terraces that connects to the San Antonio River Walk, reenergizing a culturally significant section of the river.
Each of the three office levels has large and open floorplates with private, stepped-back terraces that overlook the river. Finally, the design includes spaces for murals. Concepts will be sourced through a public art competition organized in partnership with Centro San Antonio.
Steve Thomas in CBRE’s San Antonio office will lead the office leasing effort while colleague Whit Jordan will handle retail leasing.
About a year ago, BH Properties acquired the vacant building from the public utility CPS Energy. Gene Williams with CBRE’s Global Advisory and Transactional Services team, Jared Chua and Jennifer Joseph with CBRE’s Institutional Properties team, and Peter Jansen with CBRE’s Public Institutions and Education Solutions team marketed the property on behalf of CPS Energy.
The 146 Navarro Street building was originally constructed in 1968 as a seven story-parking structure for HemisFair ’68, the official World’s Fair held in San Antonio. Three stories of office space were added above the garage in 1987 to accommodate the growth of CPS Energy, which currently serves more than 1.2 million customers in the greater San Antonio area. The public utility vacated the property in 2020 after consolidating its operations into a new building in downtown San Antonio.
The Monument to Modular
The building is in close proximity to the Hilton Palacio del Rio, a 500-room hotel which opened in 1968, just in time for the HemisFair.
A monument to modular construction, the 22-story Hilton was constructed in only 202 days by the H.B. Zachry Construction company. Modular rooms, containing furniture, were hoisted into place by Texas-based Zachry in a fast-paced assembly that brought the hotel online in time for the World’s Fair opening.
Based in Los Angeles, BH Properties recently opened an office in Houston’s Energy Corridor in order to better manage projects in southern Texas.
March 28, 2022 Realty News Report Copyright 2022
Renderings: Gensler
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File: Redo Underway on Riverwalk in San Antonio